Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do employers actually ask for GPA? I’ve never heard of that.

It’s on every résumé I’ve ever gotten.

It never been on any resume where I hired that person. So odd!

Maybe varies by industry. My college sophomore has been applying for summer internships in consulting and wall street and says all of the applications have asked for it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do employers actually ask for GPA? I’ve never heard of that.

Federal gov't - absolutely. Which is absurd when you're 50 and applying for jobs and they *still* require your GPA.

It’s not about the GPA in most federal hiring, it’s to make sure that you have met the degree requirements for the position. For example. If you are applying for an engineering position, you will have to submit a transcript to prove you have a degree in engineering. I’ve done a ton of fed hiring over the years and never look at GPA.

"Superior Academic Achievement" defined by GPA is what gets most college grads qualification for their entry level fed job since they don't have the experience yet. So definitely relevant for entry level fed jobs.

GPAs are important for most entry level positions. at least 80% of jobs hiring on campus (for my kids) wanted 3.0+ to even look at the resume for jobs and internships. At least 25% wanted 3.5+
It's a simple way for employers to narrow down the pile of resumes. And yes, at college the gpa does show (by and large) how hard of a worker someone is. In reality, if a kid applies themselves, getting a 3.0 is not that difficult (in 95% of circumstances) (I've got an ADHD kid who tests terribly, has no executive functioning, who is happy with a B mentality, etc. who still managed a 3.4 even after "tanking their gpa while attempting pre-med freshman year"---would have had a 3.6 if started in their final major)

students looking for their first job pretty much always put GPA on their resume ... unless it is bad.

many companies at university job fairs will only interview candidates with a specific GPA or higher. it's a real thing.

Who wants to work at Geico anyway?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do employers actually ask for GPA? I’ve never heard of that.

Federal gov't - absolutely. Which is absurd when you're 50 and applying for jobs and they *still* require your GPA.

It’s not about the GPA in most federal hiring, it’s to make sure that you have met the degree requirements for the position. For example. If you are applying for an engineering position, you will have to submit a transcript to prove you have a degree in engineering. I’ve done a ton of fed hiring over the years and never look at GPA.

"Superior Academic Achievement" defined by GPA is what gets most college grads qualification for their entry level fed job since they don't have the experience yet. So definitely relevant for entry level fed jobs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my field and fields like it, GPA does matter very much for grad school applications, even if time has passed since the bachelor's degree. We start to worry a little below a 3.5, and under a 3.0 we would likely not admit unless there has been outstanding career experience in the field since the bachelor's.

One strong recommendation I would give is that newer college students be helped to understand right away how difficult it is to raise a GPA later if the earlier data points are weak. Simple math, but most of them don't think too hard about it at the beginning, or are used to weighting at the HS level that obscures things, or figure they will buckle down in the upperclass years when they're settled in a major they care about. Nailing those comparatively easy gen-ed courses, even if you're bored, can really make a difference.

--College prof

To the college professor. You're in the academia bubble too long. You need to get out and see the real world once in a while. My DS graduated with 2.7 GPA from UNC, and after working for four years, he applied to the MBA program at UVA and got accepted, and he didn't have an outstanding career after graduation. He got accepted because he is a friend of the company CEO who is a UVA alum and a major financial contributor to UVA, and the CEO recommended him to the UVA MBA program. Who you know matters.

But for the thousands of young adults without those "connections" who want an MBA from a decent university (T50-100), GPA does matter.
And GPA does matter for many grad programs. When you start as a freshman you have no clue where you will end up, what your final level of education will be, so it is smart to help them realize a higher gpa never hurt anyone, but having at least a 3.0 is something to aim for for so many reasons and a 3.5 if you truly might want to attend graduate school in any area. It will make your life much easier.
Yes, someone with a 2.5/2.7 can go to grad school, but it will be a more challenging path to get accepted, or you need to have connections. Your DS got in thru connections---not because he was qualified at all. Most MBA programs want to see a 3.0 min and/or excellent career background (which you said your kid didn't have).

Much easier for most to aim for a 3.0 min and higher if possible and do well in their career. If the right connections come along, great, if not, then you are prepared.